Bestiary

The Thaumaturgical Mark

The Mark of the Trophy is a thaumaturgical symbol of a crescent moon that was created by the Tremere long ago. This Mark, which is applied by the Justicars during a ceremony, both protects the Alastors and hinders them. The presence of the Mark grants an Alastor all the powers afforded to them as described in Chapter One. However, this Mark can also doom an Alastor, for if it’s spotted by an enemy who understands what the symbol represents — her cover is instantly blown.

Thanks to Dylan Bruce, several Alastors are now more paranoid than ever. His ability to subvert the Mark of the Trophy has forced some Alastors to call it the “Mark of the Beast.” Dylan Bruce is not the only topic of conversation among Alastors, however, for the recent influx of new candidates has generated a lot of chatter.

Several unsubstantiated rumors about the Mark include:

• The Mark of the Trophy is no longer being applied to new Alastors. Some don’t have the Mark, a tactical maneuver designed to help Alastors go deeper undercover and avoid an infernalist’s touch.

• Dylan Bruce isn’t responsible for subverting the Mark, the Tremere are.

• Some Alastors have requested that the Mark be applied to the back of their necks or higher up on their forearms, to give them the opportunity to hide it better.

• The Tremere are experimenting with the tone of the Mark, and are attempting to apply different flesh-colored birthmarks to the next batch of Alastors.

• Alastors tasked with going deep undercover are tattooed with a sigil that’s meaningful to the group they are permanently attempting to infiltrate. Kindred whisper that an Alastor was recently tattooed with an upside-down ankh.

• The Mark can be removed, but the Justicars aren’t willing to call back every Alastor that’s out in the field to do it.

In modern times, many Alastors feel that the Mark of the Trophy is outdated and shouldn’t be applied. Though they won’t openly admit it, some think that Alastors have too many powers and should be controlled centrally, either through the Red Alastors or the Justicars themselves. To some, the Mark doesn’t mean the same thing now as it did in the 15th century.

Though that may be true, given recent events, even a small change — like altering the position of the Mark or removing it entirely — is a bigger deal than most Kindred realize. In all likelihood, the Justicars are spending their efforts trying to persuade the Tremere to unravel how Bruce subverted the Mark and reveal certain thaumaturgical secrets, so they can undo the damage he caused. Without the help of the Tremere, the Justicars might avoid naming new Alastors altogether for the time being and, instead, pair good candidates with existing Alastors or Red Alastors for training and support.

Tactics

The underpinnings of an Alastor’s operation boils down to the tactics he wants to deploy and how easy it is to carry out his plans. The difficulty of these schemes is dependent on the time, allies, and resources required. Some traps, like framing an Anathema’s allies, require more coordination than others and rely on the use of modern technology.